After the Battle
by NarglesandNifflers
Summary: Slash. Merlin is gravely injured in a battle, but at least he has Arthur. Short one-shot. Rated T because I'm paranoid.


The pain is agonizing, almost unbearable. He staggers to the side of the battleground and collapses. He attempts to raise his head, to search the battleground, but doesn't have the energy to do so. The world is swimming and he is almost blinded with pain; every bone in his body feels as though it is burning like fire, so painful he finds himself almost wishing for death, something to put an end to this agony.

"_Merlin!"_

The shout is desperate, terrified, hurting Merlin more than anything. He is vaguely aware of someone skidding to a halt beside him and feels strong arms wrap around his body. He tries to speak but is unable to form words; the only sound coming out is a faint gasp.

"Merlin," Arthur whispers again. He cradles the broken form of his friend in his arms and swallows hard. Merlin can see him faintly, a blurred image against the blue sky, and raises a shaking hand, placing it on the side of Arthur's face. He wants to tell Arthur to return to the battle, wants to tell him many things, but it's too late. His eyes close as his limp hand slips from Arthur's face, the background noise rapidly fading away, until all he can see is black.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOO XXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOO XXOO

Voices. Faint, indiscernible voices. Who do they belong to? Where is he? He tries to open his eyes but it feels as though someone has glued them shut. He tries to mumble something, although he's not entirely sure what. His hands twitch as he clutches the blanket covering him – how did it get there? What even happened? He tries to remember, but finds he can barely remember anything.

"Arthur!" he hears someone call. "Arthur, I think he's coming round!" Merlin can hear an inaudible shout in return and suddenly feels marginally better. Arthur is here. The knowledge reassures him, it comforts him. Eager to see his friend, he attempts, once again, to open his eyes, and this time around finds he can. Admittedly, his vision is rather blurry but at least he could see what was going on. He can vaguely distinguish the figures of Gwaine and Percival hovering uncertainly next to a large tree. But where is Arthur? He turns his head slightly and immediately screws his eyes tightly shut in pain, gritting his teeth; apparently even the smallest movement will hurt him.

"Don't try and move yet Merlin," comes a voice he knows and loves, as Arthur kneels down beside him, his blue eyes ringed with dark circles and his face pale. "You're still too weak."

"I…..what happened?" croaks Merlin.

Arthur's eyes search Merlin's face. "You don't remember?"

"No," whispers Merlin.

"You were injured," says Arthur quietly. "It was….well, it was serious, there was blood everywhere, it was horrible." He took a deep breath, blinking hard. "You blacked out. I…I thought you had died. It was awful. You've been out for about ten hours."

Merlin stares at him. Now Arthur mentions it, he can feel the memories starting to return. The sword, slicing through the air and striking him from the side, the agony, the moments before he blacked out, alone with Arthur at the side of the battlefield…

"I remember now," he says quietly.

Arthur nods. "Well, at least you're okay now. We'll be returning to the castle tomorrow. Gaius will be able to sort you out. Don't worry," he adds with a weak smile, "I'll give you a few days off. Only a few, mind."

Merlin returns the faint smile. "Congratulations Arthur, for once you're not being a prat."

Arthur looks relieved. "Well, at least I know you're feeling better now." He hesitates, and for a moment Merlin has the strangest feeling that he wants to say something else, however, the moment is gone in a flash as Arthur clears his throat and turns to face Gwaine and Percival.

"Why don't the two of you go hunting?" he suggests.

"Right," says Gwaine. "Of course. I'll talk to you later Merlin, yeah?"

"Okay," says Merlin with a smile.

"I'll talk to you too," says Percival. "Glad you've come round Merlin."

"Thanks," replies Merlin awkwardly.

The two knights leave, leaving Merlin and Arthur alone together. For some reason Arthur looks very uncomfortable about something, although Merlin has no idea why.

"Anything wrong?" he asks. He is pleased to note that his voice seemed to steadily be growing stronger and stronger the more he uses it. Arthur simply shrugs.

"Just….." he clears his throat. "I don't know. I….I shouldn't even be thinking about this but…" His voice trails off as he stares at Merlin. Merlin stares back, completely bewildered.

Arthur seems lost in thought for a few seconds before muttering, "Oh, what the hell," leaning in, and kissing Merlin on the mouth.

Merlin's initial feeling of shock is soon replaced by a feeling of pure joy. Arthur is kissing him. He repeats the words once again in his mind. _Arthur is kissing him. _He has dreamed about this for months, maybe even years, and it's finally happening. Arthur's lips are soft against his, his arms are wrapped around Merlin's torso and the whole moment is just so perfect…..

The pain in Merlin's body seems to vanish, as suddenly he doesn't feel so bad after all.

**A/N: I actually wrote this as little while ago and found it written in a notebook today so decided to post it on fanfiction. I'm not really sure if it was all that great to be honest, but I thought I might as well post it on here to see what you think. Please review – I'll really appreciate it!**


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